Four Decades of Efforts to Bridge the Gap Between Education and Experience in Journalism

Hossein Ghandi, a journalism professor in Iran, passed away due to cardiac arrest on Thursday, April 3. Mr. Ghandi had been hospitalized in Ghiasi Hospital in Tehran since April 24, when he fell into a coma due to a stroke. Iranian journalism, especially in recent years, has faced the challenge of a disconnect between education and experience, and Hossein Ghandi represented a generation of Iranian journalism that worked to bridge this gap. Born in 1951 in Sabzevar, he went to the School of Communication Sciences in 1970 to study journalism and joined the Kayhan newspaper after completing his journalism course. He then spent the years between 1977 and 1979 pursuing a master's degree in international management in the United States and, upon returning to Iran, resumed journalism as his profession. The Kayhan Havaei weekly, where Hossein Ghandi published his first article in 1972, and newspapers such as Kayhan, Akhbar, Abrar, Jame'e, Entekhab, and Jam-e Jam, were among the media that hosted his reports, articles, interviews, and headlines throughout his four decades of professional activity. However, the revival of journalism education in Iran in the late 1980s provided an opportunity for young journalists and journalism students to learn from Hossein Ghandi's experiences in journalism. Mr. Ghandi, known for his news writing and headline crafting, challenged classical journalism teachings in these areas within newsrooms and, alongside the expansion of journalism in Iran, contributed to the development of journalism education. His first educational texts, based on his journalism knowledge and newsroom experiences, were published in the Media Quarterly, and shortly after, in the early 1990s, the book 'Modern Journalism' was published based on his and his colleague Naeem Badiei's views. This book remains one of the main reference books in the field of journalism education in Iran. Mr. Ghandi not only had a unique instinct for headline writing but also paid attention to elements such as rhythm and the musicality of words in headlines. During his collaboration with the Abrar newspaper, coinciding with the First Gulf War, his news necessities led him to establish a new type of two-part headlines, known as 'two headlines.' He also imparted these experiences through education, and his creativity in writing catchy and readable headlines was transferred to his students through books, articles, and various training courses. Mr. Ghandi applied this experience to other areas of journalism as well, creating a methodology for expanding fields such as report writing and article writing based on his newsroom experiences. Until a few years ago, he taught news writing, editing, and news management at the Allameh University Faculty of Communications and the Media Studies Office. He authored several books, including 'Article Writing in the Press,' 'Specialized Journalism,' and 'Imagination in Journalism,' and many current active members of Persian-language media inside and outside Iran are considered his students, directly or indirectly. The body of Hossein Ghandi will be buried at 9 AM on Saturday, April 5, from the Media Studies and Planning Office and is set to rest in the section of the distinguished at Behesht Zahra cemetery.